Soderhatts (sic) Cottage W. Gouldsboro Me. 173.

Soderhatts (sic) Cottage W. Gouldsboro Me. 173.

"Soderholtz Cottage W. Gouldsboro Me. 173." Soderhatts Cottage, (Soderhaltz) Stone Building, Buildings, Eric Ellis Soderholtz was a pioneer in American garden pottery at the turn of the 20th century, as well as in the artistic use of concrete. He was born in Sweden; as a craftsman, he was based in Boston, though initially he worked as a photographer, specializing in Architecture. In the late 19th century, on a wave of interest in America's past, he published several groundbreaking books of photographs of early American houses. His work also appeared in many major magazines of the day, from Architectural Record to House Beautiful. He first discovered Maine on a fishing trip, winding up in the hamlet of West Gouldsboro, near the spectacular scenery of the Schoodic Peninsula, now part of Acadia National Park. He fell in love with the area, and eventually built a fascinating stone Arts & Crafts bungalow, Boreas Lodge, on a rocky ledge there. As a potter, he experimented with shapes, techniques, and finishes. Pieces were manufactured using various techniques, including molding on a form, and pivoting against a template. The finish layers were applied by hand on a turning wheel. Powdered brick dust mixed with the concrete gave a particularly beautiful finish, and he used various other materials, from coal dust to mica chips, to achieve various colored and textured surfaces. He used stamps to impress designs into some of his pieces. With the coming of the great depression, business declined, and Soderholtz closed the studio. As late as the 1980s, one could still see the giant wooden forms he used to shape many of his pots strewn about the grounds of his home in West Gouldsboro. The house is still standing in 2015. [This information was taken from an article by Brad Emerson http://thedowneastdilettante.blogspot.com/2010/05/concrete-beauty-ee-soderholtz.html]